All Blog Posts Tagged 'Mia' (99)

It was cold on Wednesday morning, so cold that Debbie called me up to make sure I was coming. It was down to 25° F, and a light breeze was blowing. I told her it would really help me to ride since I was not able to ride either Friday or Sunday and my walking was getting worse, but if it was too cold for her it was fine, I could ride on Friday. She told me to come on out.

I apologize to my readers for my lack of production this year, I just get so tired and discouraged that I can’t seem to write.

At least I kept riding last year, and that seemed to take up all my extra energy. I even made progress with my riding, Cider no longer reminds me of a pretzel as we walk and trot around Shannon’s small ring. Thanks to Cider’s refusal to accept anything less than perfection, my body finally seems to have figured out how to keep centered in…

Mia, the nearly 30 year old Arab mare I ride, seems to be going through various issues as she ages. Bits that used to be fully accepted start bothering her and she always lets me know in a few weeks if she wants me to change then.

Debbie, my wonderful riding teacher and manager of a big stable (38 horses or so) has a dream of doing long distance riding. She has her horse, Tercel, an Arabian gelding, but since he is an Arab it can be difficult to find a saddle that FITS him. If you are going to ride a horse long distances, a well fitting saddle is essential if you want a sound, usable horse at the end of the ride. She already bought one saddle that ended up not…

Well, I seem to have survived the summer heat. It has been a challenge living without air-conditioning but I got a wonderful surprise, this summer I had a LOT more endurance when riding in the heat. My youngest son, who has a BS in Biochemistry, told me that organisms have a mechanism when it is hot that protects the body’s proteins, and when the weather turns cold (or if a person is in air-conditioning a lot) the body stops doing this particular…

The heat has definitely arrived here in NC, not full summer heat and humidity yet but it has been a challenge living without air-conditioning. Bless the person who invented the electric fan! I have managed to stay cool enough so I am staying stable physically with my MS, but my memory is not as good as it is during cooler weather.

So Wednesday I forgot to do my final check-off of all the stuff I take to my riding lesson and forgot my Corrector…

When I was riding Mia on Friday I had a great time. She continued to keep contact with her JP single jointed full cheek snaffle, reaching out confidently and not flinging her head or curling up when I made a mistake with my hands. When I made a mistake with my hands she would start inverting, but when I corrected myself and sent her on she would reach out again and accept the bit. She was quite alert and looked around…

The heat has started to come to North Carolina, and due to thousands of dollars of unexpected expenses plus expected money not coming in I am having to adjust to living without air-conditioning this summer. Just today we got an air-conditioner in one room, the room we fixed up after our water pipes froze last winter, the smallest room in our house. So I am not doing as well as normal, but that has been the story of my life this year.

After several sweaty rides it cooled down this week. We had to go through 3 inches of rain first, but for my last two rides it was cool with a pleasant breeze, cool enough that Mia protested standing in the breeze since she is now in her summer coat.

It was on Mia that I triggered my hip bursitis the first time. After a nice ride walking around with no problems I decided it might be a good idea for me to practice gripping…

Down here in central southern North Carolina we are now paying the price of our plentiful winter rains. The gnats are truly horrible. Debbie has ALL of her 30 plus horses in face masks and she asked me 1) if gnats are poisonous since she has swallowed so many of them this year, 2) if gnats are good for anything, and 3) if there is any other critter that eats them. I could not give her an answer, I guess I better start…

I had a wonderful week of riding all three horses. We have had absolutely wonderful spring weather and everything worked out.

Last week I just got to ride once, on Mia, with the JP Dr. Bristol bit that I used with her before I tried the JP copper roller full cheek bit. This ride with the Dr. Bristol was fine, but my next ride was a thorough review of all of Mia’s bit evasions and protests. This was following a general deterioration of…

I had another wonderful week of three rides, and all my rides were in absolutely beautiful spring weather. The only downside is that it is becoming more and more apparent that I’ve lost just about all the physical progress I’d made over the past 6-7 years. I post the trot for maybe a quarter of the ring and I have to rest. My previously taut muscles have lost all their tone. I get off the horse and I am so tired that I do not walk well. And there I am…

Maybe the Universe is starting to smile on me again. Maybe I will be able to stop the relentless degradation of my body. Maybe I can finally start to recover from my MS exacerbation.

The first week of December 2013 I rode four times. Since then the most I’ve ridden in a week was two times around a month ago. I am walking a little better but my physical fitness took a big hit this winter, I am weaker and my muscles just won’t…

I finally got to ride on Wednesday, the first time in two weeks. Between all the extra traveling I’ve had to do, the lingering effects of my MS exacerbation plus an absolutely horrible head cold I was too sick and exhausted to ride last week.

Wednesday dawned bright and cold. Mia was NOT happy to be brought in. I could not really blame her, the wind was from the North and it was bitterly cold. Debbie groomed her, but I did not…

Last week I got to ride twice. Riding is out for this week, it is just too cold in the mornings!

Sunday the 19th I got to ride Cider. I just walked since I was too weak to do anything more. I tried the same aids for the shoulder-in I used on Mia, but I just got one or two slight hints of Cider actually doing a shoulder-in. Now Cider used to be used for eventing so she has had at least some dressage training, so it could…

I seem to be slowly recovering from my latest MS exacerbation. I’m still walking though some days are better than others as far as my mobility is concerned. I do know that I am a lot better than I would be if I had not gotten to ride Mia this week. My exhaustion is slowly abating but doing anything gets me tired quickly.

I did not get to ride at all the week of the big freeze, either the mornings were COLD (the worst one at 6…

Right now I am fighting a Multiple sclerosis exacerbation (attack). It started Monday, Dec. 30, 2013 around 6 or 7:00 PM. Luckily years ago I figured out a homeopathic remedy that works with this particular type of exacerbation and after around three hours, when I was sure I was having an MS attack, I took it.

But once an attack starts it is hard to stop. The neurologists can do it with a GRAM of corticosteroids a day for 5 days, but since I am…

My husband gave me some Christmas money, so I went to the tack store yesterday. I’ve had my eye on a “Korsteel JP copper ball link full cheek” 3-piece snaffle with a small copper ball that rolls around the center link, as well as a “gelcomb” and a small brush so I could groom Mia’s head properly. I lucked out, the bit was still there and I finally found the head brushes I was looking for. One of the…

I think I am coming down with something, even though I have been staying mostly at home. All disease germs must love the Christmas shopping season, there are so many potential victims just waiting around to provide a hospitable home.

Wednesday I got my lesson on Mick. Poor guy, Debbie thought that it would be warmer on Tuesday night so she just put Mick’s sheet on (he is in a stall at night.) Well Wednesday morning was cold and there was an even…

Luckily I got my lesson on Wednesday. The low that night had been 21° F but when I got up the TV said 25° F so I went out to ride. I had gotten Mick an extra exercise sheet, this time a Centaur Climate Control Thermo Knit Cut-back Exercise sheet. Mick takes a 72” blanket so I had to get the…